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The mother of Lu Lingyi. She had kept a vegetarian diet in her daily life, resulting in chronically dry intestines and stomach. After her Tian Gui (menstruation) had ceased, her menstrual blood still did not stop, resembling the pattern of Beng Lou (metrorrhagia or metrostaxis). Recalling the adverse outcomes associated with Jiang Yi Ren's case of Jiao Chang (a condition where urine and feces are excreted from the wrong orifices), I urgently treated her, and she had long since recovered. Coinciding with this year's autumn, the Dryness Metal qi was excessive, preventing the generation of damp insects, causing everyone to suffer from coughs. Her constitution, characterized by blood deficiency and fluid exhaustion, suffered particularly severely. She experienced tightness and distension in the chest and hypochondrium, rapid upper body panting, and restless sleep. Coughing induced severe pain, and her sputum contained bloody, fishy-smelling phlegm. Food intake was difficult, and voice production was impaired. Alternating chills and fever occurred, intensifying significantly during the Shen (15:00–17:00) and You (17:00–19:00) hours when Dryness Metal was in command. Her pulse varied between large and small, deep and hidden, wiry and tight. Administering Lung-clearing herbs was like pouring a spoonful of water onto red-hot iron, offering no relief for the acute symptoms. Her sons were panicked and at a loss, recognizing it as a critical prognosis. I explicitly informed them that Fei Yong (Lung Abscess) was about to form and that her advanced age made it difficult to endure. Therefore, I used Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang (Descurainia Seed and Jujube Decoction to Drain the Lungs) to first unblock the stagnation of Lung Qi. Immediately, her breathing slightly stabilized, food intake improved slightly, sputum became easier to expectorate, and she could lie on her side slightly, indicating significant vitality. I stated, "Not yet. I observe the disease momentum is too urgent; I resorted to a temporary quick fix. Ultimately, temporarily opened pathways easily close again. Once closed again, the previous method cannot be reused. Taking advantage of this temporary opening, we must plan multiple strategies. Recovery will only occur after sixty days, upon entering the Winter Solstice solar term. The internal dryness and the seasonal dryness are knotted together and unresolved. We must wait for the Dryness Metal qi to recede before the Lung Metal can attain true peace." The brothers of Lingyi earnestly requested dedicated treatment. During these sixty days, the condition repeatedly became critical and then stable, largely managed through flexible methods. Since Lung diseases should not be treated with tonification, but Spleen deficiency cannot generate Lung Qi, and while Lung dryness prefers moistening, Spleen stagnation hinders food transportation. On days when Spleen deficiency was extreme and appetite was absent, I added small amounts of Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Baizhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome) to the Lung-clearing formula to tonify the Spleen. On days when Lung dryness was extreme with intense heat and frequent coughing, I added small amounts of Ejiao (Donkey-hide Gelatin) to moisten dryness. Day by day, supporting her until noon on the Start of Winter solar term, the patient suddenly said, "My internal sensation feels remarkably refreshing; I can survive." How miraculous! As the seasonal dryness dissipated, the Lung Metal dryness transmitted downward to the Large Intestine. For five or six days without a major bowel movement, a slight intestinal moistening led to immediate resolution, precisely because the pathogenic external factors were easy to eliminate. By the Minor Snow solar term, her health improved, and her food intake doubled compared to before. This was because her stomach had been empty for a long time, inevitably leading to increased intake to restore its normal capacity to receive food and drink, marking complete recovery. The brothers of Lingyi recorded this minor achievement, but I reflected on this case. It is said, "Better to treat ten men than one woman." Now, however, it seems better to treat ten women than one man.

Mr. Hu Youchen said: The Elixir does not exceed nine transformations; the world imitates it but fails to achieve it. Chen Quan's theories can be followed, but flexible application is difficult to master.